IM network in top form
Friday 31 January 2014
The Dutch recovery companies active on the motorway network (IM recovery companies) have their operating equipment well in hand. This was reflected by an investigation undertaken on behalf of Stichting Incident Management Nederland among 25 of the country's largest IM recovery companies. These companies together carry out 80% of all car recovery operations on the trunk road network.
At each company, four unannounced inspections were carried out at the roadside. At 21 companies, including Jan van de Graaf jr. in Rotterdam, no non-conformities whatsoever were identified. Of the one hundred vehicles inspected, 99 fulfilled all quality requirements imposed. The MOT registration of just one vehicle had expired several days previously. The vehicle in question had in fact already been registered for reinspection at the time.
During three inspections it emerged that the deployed recovery driver was not in possession of (one of) the required qualifications. In one case, the driver was unable to present either the professional qualification for Light Recovery or the Safe Working Practice on the Roadside certificate. This driver was signed up for both training courses in the week following the inspection. He is now in possession of both qualifications.
The second non-conformity was observed in a company that had deployed a former employee due to pressure of work. The recovery driver in question had more than ten years' recovery experience, but was not in possession of the professional certificates. This situation was corrected shortly following the inspection. The third driver without papers was a co-driver who was not able to present a safety certificate. He too is now in possession of a valid training certificate that he can present on request.